I will be exhibiting Sleuth from next Saturday for the month of November – at Inflight Art Gallery (soon to change its name to CONSTANCE).
This is one comic from the Sleuth series which I hope will be an ongoing comics project of mine.

This comic with Paul and Mary was designed to run horizontally across a wall, so it’s not ideally read on the computer screen … though perhaps on a website where you could scroll left to right it might read well. The Sleuth project will not involve Paul and Mary on a regular basis, though they may make a cameo in the future.

This series of comics aims to tell a larger story that sits in between all of the different stories that I have told and will tell. Perhaps you can piece it together over time, perhaps not. It must be said though – Paul and Mary are my personal favourites of all the character’s I’ve met so far … they were one of the first I met as well. I hope you like them too.

Currently – I have three zines for sale!! – All $5- plus postage! HOW CHEAP!!!
– “I wanna be a travella! (and a artist)” – all the travel shenanigans of me and Nadine’s recent trip to Europa
– “Sleuth Zine #1” (in conjunction with my November exhibition at Inglight Art Gallery
– Carlton Blues yearbook – the view from Tasmania (not many left)

Though if you’re such a lucky duck that you live in Melbourne – the world’s most liveable city, you could always ask at Sticky if they have anything of mine.

So ladies and gentlemen – for those of you who haven’t heard about this yet – the time has come for me to ask you all for a helping hand. Together we might just be able to pull off a GREAT ENDEAVOUR!!

This project isn’t really going to make any cash for me, I’ll be lucky if it covers the costs – I’m just grateful to you all for helping it see the light of day!!

This is a quick reminder that people can still preorder the comic for the next two or so months, those who haven’t gotten around to it can still do so. Every book that’s PRE-ordered means I can print a couple more as well which will give the project some longevity !!

Media – for those interested
* Here’s an article about the project from Alice Online by Dave Richards.
* On Monday the 22nd October Josh will be on Alice Springs ABC radio at (local time) 10:25 to talk with Nadine Maloney about the graphic novel – tune in!

We can … get this comic … PUBLISHED!!
YAY for Australian literary comics with Aussie content!!

“HOW can this be DONE???”
I hear you ask

This can be done with the help of our wonderful TEAM!
*Craig San Roque – will be writing a brand new piece for the book – entitled Milonga!!
*Nadine Kessler – will be making this into a beautiful book by weaving her book design magic on it!
*Me – Josh ! will be frantically drawing the cover and the final pages of artworks
*You and all your friends – will be checking out the POZIBLE site and choosing some great rewards which will go on to support the printing costs!
*Printing people – will be happily printing the comic and sending them to the comic dispensing centre (my house)
*Me – Josh! Will then be frantically sending them onto all of you who supported the printing of it!

If you’d like to support the project – please go HERE and sign up, we need your postal address to send you your rewards for supporting the project (no junk mail I promise).

We need to raise $$$$+ for the costs printing. The more preorders – the more books I can print!!

If you don’t have a credit card or don’t want to put your details into the web then just contact me at disco_jeans@yahoo.com.au and we can work something out.
If you haven’t got any money you can still help out by posting the Long Weekend Pozible page up on your facebook or Twitter accounts – that would be really great.

IN OTHER NEWS – All of November 2012 I have an exhibition of comics in experimental layouts at the wonderful Artist Run Initiative in Hobart – INFLIGHT!! 100 Goulburn St, Wed-Sat 1-5pm. You can read all about it here.

Currently running a preorder campaign for the book (Available March 2013) – get your copy HERE at the POZIBLE site.
If you’re in Australia choose the $30 package – this includes postage.
More information on the book – you can read about at that site also!

Incidentally – here’s a brief article about the comic at Alice Online.

So I’ve been working on this exhibition for about 12 months now, part-time. It details my meanderings on the topics of spirituality and psyche in modern Australia. The work will be exhibited in the Paddy Lyn space at Inflight Art Gallery in Hobart (an artist run initiative soon to change it’s name to Constance), in the main space will be an exhibition by the ethereal and eerily wonderful Neil Haddon!

As part of the exhibition I have also made the first SLEUTH ZINE which I am planning as part of an ongoing series emanating from the pieces that are in this exhibition and adding to the whole piece … which I anticipate will grow and manifest in different magical ways over time. This exhibition is just the flare up at the start of things.

At the end of the exhibition will also be a concert at Inflight ARI as part of the ongoing SOUND KLUB SERIES … this will be number 7 (the first being about four years ago now). Performing at SK7 will be Paul Haslin (Melbourne), Reuben Ingall (Canberra) and Transmissions (Melbourne), I shall also be performing with a very, very special secret guest … that I guarantee will excite even the biggest Hobart sceptic of experimental music.

Don’t forget that you can also PREORDER the Long Weekend in Alice Springs Graphic Novel which I am aiming to have printed and posted to you in March 2013.

This is a big call-out to all those interested in the project of the Long Weekend comic. I’ve heard enough people say that they’d love to see this comic in the flesh so they can truly digest it all in one long sitting rather than in the bits that I’ve doled it out on this website – now’s your chance!! I’m asking for your help over the months of October to December, hopefully we can raise some cash so I can get a print-run of about 300-400 copies of the book.

I’ve been slaving away on this comic for a few years now … it’s an adaptation of a psychological essay written about a Jungian concept called the Cultural Complex. The comic is about different cultures in Central Australia, it’s about all of Australia … it’s about all cultures … it’s about the cultural mind of the group. It’s both sad and funny, horrifying and witty … and it’s almost ready to be turned into a BOOK !!

I’m really hoping it’ll be a beautiful book and it’d be great to have your help to be able to do that !!

You can read the bits of the comic on the website (http://www.joshuasantospiritoart.com), where I have been slowly putting it up page by page as they’re completed. The final book will have extra pages and notes and book design by Nadine Kessler (http://www.nadinekessler.com). The final copy of the book will also have a brand new piece of writing by Craig to go with the comic. I reckon he’s a smashing writer and a unique voice in Australian writing!

A brief history of the comic’s existence so far (written in the third person)
* 2006 – Josh Santospirito reads Craig’s essay: The Long Weekend in Alice Springs whilst working in Indigenous communities in Central Australia as a mental health nurse. * Josh likes what he reads.
* 2008 – He starts drawing parts of the Long Weekend in comic form … he decides that this is a very cathartic exercise to help digest the seeming chaos around him.
* 2009 – He shows Craig San Roque. * Craig likes what he reads.
* 2010 – Josh begins pencilling over 100 pages of a more complete adaptation of the comic
* 2011 – He commences inking of those pages and showing people on his website. * People like what they read.
* 2012 – He will COMPLETE the comic by November 2012, have the book designed by Nadine.
… he will ask for help to print around 500 copies !!! * So that even more people will like what they read.
* 2013 – January / February printing. March -send y’all copies. *and y’all like what y’all read.

SO that’s it – I want you ALL to be a part of this project, making this comic into a printed version (as well as a proper-like E-book). If you don’t have a credit card or hate punching your numbers into the interwebs but you still want to support the project – get in touch at disco_jeans@yahoo.com.au and we can try to work something out. Anyone who hasn’t got the dosh CAN STILL HELP by linking to this on your social media of choice!